Zinc: Yes Or No For Eyes?

Doctors have known for a long time that your vision won't stay sharp if you're not getting enough zinc. But a study in the Archives of Ophthalmology shows that getting too much zinc can damage your eyes.

Researchers tested zinc's ability to protect test-tube human retina cells, which form the focusing screen at the back of the eyeball. At moderate levels, zinc protected retinal cells from antioxidant damage, which in humans might prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness. But at too-high levels, zinc helped destroy healthy retinal cells.

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"Getting enough zinc is good for your eyes," says Stuart Richer, OD, PhD, clinical associate professor of family medicine at Chicago Medical School. "But too much zinc speeds up the aging changes in your eye, thus increasing your risk of AMD. Because mild to moderate zinc deficiency is widespread, researchers like me recommend a daily supplement of about 25 mg of an easily absorbed chelated type of zinc such as Zn-L-monomethionine."

Zinc safety tip: If you're getting 100% of the Daily Value of zinc (15 mg) in your multi, try not to take more than 25 mg of extra zinc, or you'll go beyond the safe upper limit of 40 mg, recommends Dr. Richer.

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